Cam Newton puts shoulder problem behind him in time for NFL opener

Every odd year of his NFL career, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been invited to the Pro Bowl. Every even year, he has not. So in 2011, 2013 and 2015 - his first, third and fifth seasons in the NFL - Newton was an all-star. If that pattern continues, the former Auburn standout is in for a big 2017 season.

But Newton enters his seventh NFL campaign under a cloud of uncertainty. He had surgery in March to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, didn't pass to teammates until training camp and was prevented from throwing for almost two weeks in August because of shoulder soreness.

The Panthers kick off the season on Sunday afternoon with a road game against the San Francisco 49ers.

"I'm ready now," Newton said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. "I have no concern. I put all my faith in the man above and knowing that there's a plan for me, and I'm just trying to be proactive with every second that I have, whether it's doing the things that (quarterbacks coach Ken) Dorsey's asked me, trying to find ways in the training room to get better or focusing on cardiovascular situations to make sure that I'm at my premium weight, tip-top shape and just trying to find ways to be a better leader each and every day moving forward."

Newton played one series in the preseason. On Aug. 24, he led the Carolina offense on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the Panthers' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Newton passed only twice, dropping off a 12-yard pass to rookie running back Christian McCaffrey and hitting wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin on a slant for a 9-yard touchdown.

"His conditioning, there is no issue with that, I can promise you that right now," Carolina coach Ron Rivera told reporters. "Probably the biggest thing, obviously, is just continuing to get the shoulder in shape. That's the one thing that comes along slowly. It's like a pitcher going through rehab. You build up the throws, and that's what we've had to do is build up the throws.

"He's done a great job. He's really, I think, where we need him to be. The only thing we wish is we had a little more time, at least one or two more preseason games, that we could have done a little bit more work before the last one. But we feel pretty confident and are excited about Sunday."

Newton lost weight during the offseason and said the lack of preseason playing time didn't affect his physical conditioning.

"I'm extremely pleased," Newton said about how he feels entering the season-opening game, "but that's all for naught if the on-field performance doesn't shake out. I think I'm doing every single thing that I could possibly do on my part that I can control, and that alone gives you a chance."

Newton said staying sharp without being able to throw the football presented a challenge.

"I've been getting a lot of mental work," Newton said. "(The team has) a lot of younger guys more than in years past that I've been more hands-on with and has allowed me to reteach the game and learn the game even more. So it's kind of been a really good thing as well. It could have been very boring for me, but yet coach Dorsey has been doing a great job of staying on top of finding ways to challenge me in the classroom as well as on the field without throwing the football."

Two of the "younger guys" are McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, the Panthers' first two picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. The players give Newton two elusive targets for short passes out of the backfield, with McCaffrey playing running back and Samuel working as a slot receiver.

Rivera has talked all offseason about the Carolina offense evolving into a scheme in which Newton takes fewer hits in the running game and in the pocket.

"It's up to me to execute," Newton said. "Just take what the defense gives me. It's going to be different for me because of certain things that's asked of me and just the whole process going on. But yet I still see the sameness in our offense. It just allows me to have a more hands-on role, and I wouldn't want it no other way."

Although Newton started his NFL career by throwing for 422 yards in the first game of the 2011 season, he has a 2-4 record in season-opening games. The Panthers and 49ers kick off at 3:25 p.m. CDT Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.